Food waste disposers are known in the art and are typically made of various metal, plastic, and rubber components. Food waste is fed into the disposer from a sink along with water, is reduced within the disposer, and is then flushed to the plumbing system of a house or commercial establishment. The reduced food waste can foster the growth of various microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungus, and mold. These microorganisms can cause objectionable odors within the disposer. They can also cause slimy films on the disposer components, which is particularly objectionable for components that disposer users may need to touch, such as the mounting gasket and the grinding plate within the disposer, which the user will probably perceive as unclean or unhealthy. In addition, microorganisms can potentially hinder operation of the disposer by degrading plastic or rubber components, thereby reducing the longevity of the disposer and its various components.
While these problems have long persisted in the food waste disposer art, the art contains only a very limited disclosure of the application of antimicrobial technologies to the components of a food waste disposers. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,635, a flexible cylinder is disclosed which connects the disposer throat to the drain opening of a sink. This cylinder is formed of an antimicrobial rubber produced by adding 0.1% or more of an antimicrobial agent, such as an organic or inorganic iodine agent. However, the '635 patent suggests a narrow usage for such antimicrobial treatment. First, that patent does not recognize or suggest the applicability of antimicrobial technologies to components other than the flexible cylinder. In addition, that patent erroneously suggests that such rubberized antimicrobial components should only be used in a non-load bearing, non-vibration isolation capacity. See, e.g., '635 patent, col. 5, 11. 37-45. Moreover, only one type of antimicrobial treatment, i.e., embedding of iodine agents in a rubber matrix, is disclosed. In short, the art has barely recognized the utility of antimicrobial components in food waste disposers, despite a long felt need for suitable and more comprehensive solutions.
To that end, a need exists in the art for food waste disposers with components that can reduce or eliminate the growth of such microorganisms, which would allow the disposer to stay cleaner during use, make the disposer easier to clean, and reduce the potential for odors. Such solutions, proffered in this disclosure, have applicability to many of the different components in the disposer without significant regard for the component's function.